Free clinic available at Denver bankruptcy court

The Colorado Bar Association is hosting a free, monthly "clinic" for consumers dealing with insurmountable debt and considering filing for bankruptcy.

The clinic, which takes place on the second Tuesday of each month, is staffed with bankruptcy attorneys who volunteer their services, according to the Denver Post.

"They come in thinking they can be arrested. They come in riddled with guilt, and they are overstressed," said a bankruptcy attorney who volunteers at the clinic.

The clinic is primarily for those considering filing for bankruptcy on their own, without hiring a lawyer. The number of people attending the event has risen from a handful to more than 40 people in recent years, according to Meghan Bush, the program coordinator for the Colorado Bar Association.

A bankruptcy attorney who volunteers at the clinic said that filing bankruptcy without the help of a lawyer is possible, but not easy. When a consumer's financial difficulties are so serious as to consider filing for bankruptcy, the cost of hiring a lawyer can be nearly unbearable, he added.

Many who attend the clinic are considering filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, according to the news source. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is a common type of personal bankruptcy which involves the liquidation of certain assets to repay creditors.